Why I left Norwich to build eco-home

Simric Yarrow building his eco home in South Africa.

11 October 2007 09:42

A Norwich man who moved to South Africa has turned eco-warrior and is building his own cob house.

Simric Yarrow left New Catton 11 years ago to explore the world and has settled in Cape Town, South Africa after falling in love with the country, culture - and his wife Carey.

Now, the 35-year-old father-of-two is leaving his urban roots behind and building an eco-friendly cob house made from clay, sand, straw and water to house his family, including daughters Kalila, five and Zorya, three.

He said: “Many eco-minded people have had the idea of building out of town in a rural idyll - and SA has plenty of rural idylls to build in - but we didn't plan on leaving our jobs and the security of the city just yet.

“Then Carey saw one of the last open plots in our part of Cape Town, and we thought, why don't we build it here in the suburb - it'll be a whole lot more visible, it's still a beautiful place to live, and it should help change people's perceptions.”

Simric's father, Ralph Yarrow, still lives in Norwich and works as a drama professor at UEA. His 32-year-old brother Kielen lives in London and his mum Jackie Lee lives in Lancashire.

Although Simric's family is in England, he said he is happy and settled with his own family in Cape Town and will not be returning to Norwich.

He added: “South Africa is also gobsmackingly beautiful. There's a sense of natural space here that has long disappeared in Europe.”

The Steiner school teacher is keen to encourage the community to bring back the tradition of building houses out of natural materials. He has been taking along pupils to show them how it works. Together with his wife, he is also running workshops to show people how they can also make their own homes with materials available to them.

He said: “The firing of clay bricks is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, cement and concrete are toxic and polluting substances to make, and landfill dumps are full of builders' rubble.

“All our wall materials are either from the foundations of our own site, or have been reclaimed from the local landfill site or other sites where conventional builders are excavating.

“We are also obtaining all our wood from sustainable sources and treating it with eco-friendly products, and plan on installing green energy and water options in the house.”

Mr Yarrow hopes the two-storey home will be ready for the family to move in by December.

Are you an ex-Norwich-pat with a story to tell? Call Lucy Bolton on 01603 772429 or email lucy.bolton@archant.co.uk

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